Is Kim setting a public relations trap for Trump?

Consider these observable facts: the president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, and the "rocket man" of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, were all hugs and kisses. They held hands as they walked across the border between a free and prosperous democracy in the south and the national concentration camp to the north. They got along so well. It was genuinely pleasant to see. They both agreed to de-nuclearizing the Korean peninsula.

Soon the "rocket man" and the prime minister of Japan will meet. Consider this prediction. The dictator of the north and the prime minister will also be full of friendship and hugs and handshakes. They will agree that the Korean peninsula will be de-nuclearized – not that Japan has a nuclear weapon, but Mr. Abe will see the benefits to his own country if tensions are calmed in the region.

Afterward, President Donald Trump, who deserves a lot of credit for his approach to the "rocket man" – that is, Trump's tough talk – and Kim will meet. Kim knows that the American news media have been hammering Trump about every little thing he does or does not do.

Here is the possible public relations trap. Prediction: Kim will storm out of the meeting and claim that Trump is unwilling to negotiate about de-nuclearizing the peninsula. Kim showed good faith with Moon and Abe, but now Trump is the one hindering the whole process. He's the unreasonable one. No hugs and handshakes or kisses. The news media will pounce. They will turn it into a public relations disaster for the president, just as Kim had planned it.

How to avoid the trap?

What does de-nuclearization of the peninsula mean? Does Trump take out defensive shields to stop a missile when Kim inevitably reignites his missile program? Trump had better not. Do we have nuclear weapons there now? According to this report by Foreign Policy, we do not, but we were being pushed by South Korean politicians to bring them back. Will Trump do it now?

To avoid the public relations disaster, Trump should not deploy nuclear weapons to the area but keep up the defensive shield. And if Kim storms out of the meeting without handshakes and all the rest of it, Trump can then claim that Kim is simply behaving erratically and lying. This could release the trap that Kim had set before Trump gets his foot caught in it.

Consider these observable facts: the president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, and the "rocket man" of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, were all hugs and kisses. They held hands as they walked across the border between a free and prosperous democracy in the south and the national concentration camp to the north. They got along so well. It was genuinely pleasant to see. They both agreed to de-nuclearizing the Korean peninsula.

Soon the "rocket man" and the prime minister of Japan will meet. Consider this prediction. The dictator of the north and the prime minister will also be full of friendship and hugs and handshakes. They will agree that the Korean peninsula will be de-nuclearized – not that Japan has a nuclear weapon, but Mr. Abe will see the benefits to his own country if tensions are calmed in the region.

Afterward, President Donald Trump, who deserves a lot of credit for his approach to the "rocket man" – that is, Trump's tough talk – and Kim will meet. Kim knows that the American news media have been hammering Trump about every little thing he does or does not do.

Here is the possible public relations trap. Prediction: Kim will storm out of the meeting and claim that Trump is unwilling to negotiate about de-nuclearizing the peninsula. Kim showed good faith with Moon and Abe, but now Trump is the one hindering the whole process. He's the unreasonable one. No hugs and handshakes or kisses. The news media will pounce. They will turn it into a public relations disaster for the president, just as Kim had planned it.

How to avoid the trap?

What does de-nuclearization of the peninsula mean? Does Trump take out defensive shields to stop a missile when Kim inevitably reignites his missile program? Trump had better not. Do we have nuclear weapons there now? According to this report by Foreign Policy, we do not, but we were being pushed by South Korean politicians to bring them back. Will Trump do it now?

To avoid the public relations disaster, Trump should not deploy nuclear weapons to the area but keep up the defensive shield. And if Kim storms out of the meeting without handshakes and all the rest of it, Trump can then claim that Kim is simply behaving erratically and lying. This could release the trap that Kim had set before Trump gets his foot caught in it.